Paper file



July 25, 1939. I R c FlNcH 2,167,578

PAPER FILE Filed June 30, 1938 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 82208202 61 Fm, 78 M 6%LJM,M(M

y' 1939. R. c. FINCH I 2,167,578

PAPER. FILE Filed June 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,g; faweiaforn- I 3 67 7 mad am, I MM, 707 044444, MVM

Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAPER FILE Application June 30, 1938, Serial No. 216,737

6 Claims.

This invention relates to paper files of the class in which the sheets to be filed are supported by a mounting or support such as a panel or tray, and the invention aims to provide means to lock the sheets therein so that unauthorized removal therefrom shall be impossible without destroying the sheets. The present invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the subject matter of Finch Patent No. 1,815,765, dated July 21, 1931.

In that patent, as in the illustrative embodiment of my present invention, folded sheets arranged in overlapping relationship, with margins exposed to receive identifying matter, are perforated to receive sheetholders or carriers in the form of resilient wires received in the folds of the sheets, passed through the perforations, and having terminal spacing enlargements received in channels presented by a panel. Removal of a sheetholder from the panel is accomplished by flexing 23 and bowing the resilient wire to reduce its length and to allow the terminal enlargements to be withdrawn lengthwise from the channels.

In the construction disclosed in the aforesaid patent, unauthorized removal of the sheet-holders 25 from the panel is prevented by a bar which overlies the sheet-holders and is locked in place by a lock having a key to be kept in the possession of an authorized person. In the specific structure disclosed in the aforesaid patent, the wires of the 30 sheet-holders were specially shaped, i. e., offset to receive the locking bar, and the panel also was specially shaped, i. e., provided with a depressed or offset portion to receive the locking bar. In the present invention, however, the nature of the locking structure is such that standard Wires and panels, i. e., without offsets, may be employed, and this has several important advantages, among which may be mentioned greater ease and convenience of operation and lower cost. 40 The invention will best be understood by reference. to the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings of one specific embodiment thereof, while its scope will be pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a paper file exemplifying the invention, with the parts in their normal positions;

50 Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the file opened up, some of t e sheets being directed upwardly, some downwardly, and others removed from their carriers, the better to illustrate the construction of the locking arrangement;

55 Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale on line 33 of Fig. 2, but with portions broken out to reduce the width of the figure;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a plan of the lower portion of the file 5 with the sheets removed, the better to disclose the construction;

Fig. 7 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale on line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the. form rest or sheet 10' support at the lower portion of the panel; and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the form rest as viewed from the right-hand side of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings and to the embodiment of the invention illustrated therein by way 15 of example, there is shown a paper file comprising a mounting conveniently in the form of a sheet metal panel I (see Fig. 3) which presents sheetholder or carrier guides l3 beneath or behind inwardly-directed, lateral flanges it. As shown in Fig. 4, the panel is also provided with transverse upper and lower, inwardly-directed flanges H and [9 which close the upper and lower ends of the channels. Referring again to Fig. 3, the channels present guides for appropriate sheet-holders or carirers which, in the present example, are resilient wires 2! having terminal spacing enlargements 23 to space the wires and to predetermine the overlap or exposure of the margins of the sheets presently to be described.

The sheet 24 shown by way of example is the same as that disclosed in the aforesaid patent, to which reference may be had if needed for further disclosure, but the sheet is believed to be sufficiently illustrated in Fig. 2 in which it is shown as being provided with perforations 25 through which the carrier is passed, and a fold 2? which intersects the perforations and receives the principal portion of the wire between the perforations. As shown in Fig. 1 the sheets are arranged in overlapping relationship with exposed margins the width of which is determined by the transverse dimensions of the enlargements 23. The carriers, with their attached sheets, are inserted into and removed from the channels by flexing and bowing the carriers to reduce their lengths.

As shown in Fig. 1, there is provided a hinged metal plate 29 which in its normal position, represented in Fig. 1, is directed inwardly or downwardly but in the position shown in Fig. 2, is folded outwardly or upwardly to afford a sheet support. This, however, has no particular significance in my present invention. Referring now to Fig. 6, the lower end of the panel is equipped with a sloping form rest or sheet support 3| (see also Figs. 4, 5, 8 and 9) against which the lowermost sheet normally lies. This sheet support, as will presently appear is of importance in connection with my present invention because it not only affords a housing for a lock presently described, but also because the removal of this sheet support is necessary to gain access to the bars, presently to be described, whose removal is necessary to the removal of the sheet-holders or carriers 2|.

In the use of paper files, it is frequently desirable to prevent unauthorized removal of any records borne by the sheets. To this end, therefore, I have provided novel locking means, now to be described, reference being had at first to Fig. 3. It will be remembered that, to remove a sheet-holder 2! from the panel II, it is necessary to flex and to bow the sheet-holder to enable its enlargements 23 to be withdrawn lengthwise from the channels. It follows that withdrawal of the enlargements can be prevented by placing obstacles in their paths, and to this end I have provided two bars 33 adjacent to and extending lengthwise of the channels 53 and near enough to the enlargements to prevent the latter from escaping from the channels. However, these bars are movable so that, when desired under the control of a person in possession of a key, the sheetholders or carriers and the sheets carried thereby can be removed from the panel.

To this end, in the present example, the bars 33 are mounted to slide lengthwise in fixed guides 35 having upright walls 3'! which prevent displacement of the bars toward each other, and the bars may be moved lengthwise and removed from the panel by first removing the sheet support 3| to gain access to the lower ends of the bars. By reference to Fig. 4, it will be observed that the bars extend downwardly almost to the inturned flange I9 and they are provided with lugs 38 which may be grasped to lift the lower ends of the bars and to withdraw them lengthwise and downwardly after removal of the sheet-support 3|. The upper ends of the bars (see Fig. 5) are sloped or bevelled as at 39 to facilitate their introduction and to clear shallow obstacles such as one of a set of rivets H employed to secure trimming strips 43 to the edges of the panel.

The form rest or sheet support 3| and its lock Will now be described, reference being had at first to Figs. 8 and 9. At each side, the sheet support is provided with rearwardly or downwardly directed flanges 45 which are received in narrow spaces ll between the bars 33 and the inturned flanges I5 on the panel. At its lower or rear edge the sheet support is provided with a rearwardly or inwardly directed flange 49 which, as best shown in Fig. 7, has an offset portion 5| provided with a lip 53 underlying the inturned flange IS! on the panel. The upper or forward edge of the sheet support is provided with a shallow, inwardly directed flange 55.

Housed behind or beneath and carried by the sheet support is a lock 5'! (see Fig. 7 having a bolt 59 which normally extends beneath or behind a flange 6| presented by a Z-bar 63 suit ably secured as by welding to the panel. The lock is suitably attached to the panel as by a lock block 65, to which the lock is secured as by screws 6'! threaded into the block, and the latter, in turn, is suitably secured as by welding to the sheet support. The lock has a usual boss 69 which projects through the sheet support, and in this boss is a cylinder ll provided with a slot 13 to receive a key.

When, therefore, the bolt 59 is extended as shown in Fig. 7, the sheet support is locked to the panel, and the bars 33 are thus inaccessible and cannot be removed by an unauthorized person. By unlocking and retracting the bolt, the sheet support is freed, its front or upper edge may be lifted, thus rocking the lip 53 on the flange l9 until the lip is freed from the flange, whereupon the sheet support may be lifted and laid aside. The lugs 38 on the bars 33 may now be lifted, the bars having sufficient flexibility and looseness to permit this, and the bars may then be withdrawn rearwardly or downwardly. The sheet holders 2| are now freed and may be removed and interchanged at will. When the sheet holders are out, the sheets may be removed from them by withdrawing the holders from the perforations in the sheets.

It should now be evident that unauthorized removal of records is absolutely impossible without destroying the sheets or some of the parts which hold them in place. On the other hand, when it becomes necessary or desirable to rearrange the records, or to remove some and to substitute others, this can readily be accomplished by simply unlocking the lock, removing the sheet support, removing the sliding bars, and then springing the sheet holders out of the channels.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

1. In a paper file, the combination of a mounting, a series of sheet-carriers whose ends are attached to said mounting and whose intermediate portions are separated from said mounting by a space, and positive locking means disposed within said space normally in position to serve as a positive lock to prevent detachment of said ends from said mounting, said means being mounted on said mounting for movement toward and from said position to lock and unlock said sheet-carriers.

2. In a paper file, the combination of a mounting, a series of sheet-carriers whose ends are attached to said mounting and whose intermediate portions are separated from said mounting by a space, and two bars normally disposed in said space adjacent to said ends, respectively, in position to prevent detachment of said ends from said mounting, said bars being mounted on said mounting for movement toward and from said position.

3. In a paper file, the combination of a mounting, a series of sheet-carriers whose ends are attached to said mounting and are removable therefrom by reducing the lengths of said sheet-carriers, each sheet-carrier presenting two shoulders facing each other and an intermediate portion separated from said mounting by a space, and two positive locking bars normally disposed in said space in positions adjacent to said shoulders, respectively, and arranged to cooperate therewith to serve as positive locks to prevent detachment of said sheet-carriers from said mounting, said bars being mounted on said mounting for movement toward and from said positions and to lock and unlock said sheet carriers.

4. In a paper file, the combination of a mounting presenting openings which face each other, a series of sheet-carriers whose ends are received in said openings and are removable therefrom by reducing the lengths of said sheetcarriers, each sheet-carrier presenting two shoulders facing each other and an intermediate portion separated from said mounting by a space, and positive locking means normally disposed in position in said space adjacent to said shoulders, respectively, and cooperating therewith to serve as a positive lock to prevent sufficient reduction of the lengths of said sheetcarriers to enable their ends to be withdrawn from said openings, said means being mounted on said mounting for movement toward and from said position to lock and unlock said carriers.

5. In a paper file, the combination of a mounting presenting openings which face each other, a series of sheet-carriers whose ends are received in said openings and are removable therefrom by reducing the lengths of said sheetcarriers, each sheet-carrier presenting two shoulders facing each other and an intermediate portion separated from said mounting by a space, detent means normally disposed in position in said space adjacent to said shoulders, respectively, and cooperating therewith to prevent sufficient reduction of the lengths of said sheetcarriers to enable their ends to be withdrawn from said openings, and locking means to lock said detent means in normal position, said detent means being mounted on said mounting for movement toward and from said position, and said locking means being mounted for movement to release said detent means 6. In a paper file, the combination of a mounting presenting openings which face each other, a series of sheet-carriers whose ends are received in said openings and are removable therefrom by reducing the lengths of said sheetcarriers, each sheet-carrier presenting two shoulders facing each other and an intermediate portion separated from said mounting by a space, detent means normally disposed in said space adjacent to said shoulders, respectively, and cooperating therewith to prevent sufficient reduction of the lengths of said sheet-carriers to enable their ends to be withdrawn from said openings, housing means normally to prevent access to said detent means, and locking means to lock said housing in normal condition.

RAYMOND C. FINCI-I. 

